Raptors coach Dwane Casey loves Jose Calderon

Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey loves Jose Calderon

Until the Toronto Raptors land an all-star point guard, there will be angst among fans surrounding what might be the most important position in the league these days.

Dwane Casey, however, is angst-free. He has been consistent in his praise of Jose Calderon, and it has been heightened recently. He took stitches over his right eye last Wednesday in Philadelphia and then again Wednesday night in Toronto against the 76ers.

In his own words, the Raptors coach loves Calderon.

“You saw last night: It was a four-point game, five-point game,” Casey said on Thursday. “And then Jose went out and all hell broke loose. Jose means so much to us.

“I love Jose. He’s gained my respect. He’s got two sets of stitches in one eye. And he’s still competing, watching practice. He’s what I want our team to be about, that type of that toughness, that performance, that seriousness, that sense of purpose.

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“Is he the most gifted player in the world? No. He’ll be the first to tell you he’s not the quickest. But his heart and his soul are always in the right place.”

Calderon, averaging 10.5 points and 8.8 assists per game, will be in the final year of his contract next season. There is talk that the Raptors could go after a point guard in free agency.

• Calderon, who did not practice because of his eye and a headache, is one of several Raptors that will be game-time decisions on Friday against the Celtics. The opposition makes Calderon’s presence particularly important.

Avery Bradley has started in place of Ray Allen in 10 of the last 11 games. During that span, the Celtics are 9-2. Bradley is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

“You have two defensive stoppers. They’re two defensive demons,” Casey said of Bradley and Rajon Rondo, who has recorded at least 10 assists in 19 straight games. “You have speed, quickness. You don’t have Ray Allen’s three-point shooting, but, again, they’ve become a defensive team. That’s what they’re doing right now.”

“It also allows Rondo to roam more, to take chances, to zone up and kind of play free. He’s one of the best in the league to do that.”

• The results of Andrea Bargnani’s MRI were not immediately known on Thursday.

Bargnani had the testing done on his left calf, which he re-injured on Sunday in Oklahoma City. He has missed 28 games in total because of the injury, and it would be a surprise to see him play again this year.